The spiked helmet is not as popular as it was before WWI but it is far from extinct. It is still the headwear with dress uniforms in a few countries, even in Great Britain, where the old home service helmet is still used by some bands. I even saw a band (actually it may have been a fife and drum corps) wearing them in London summer before last. Likewise, there is even some use of it in Germany, where some brass marching bands retain a very militaristic appearance, even including goose stepping. However, brass bands have long been popular in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and are mostly very folk-music oriented. However, bands that appear at "Schützenfest" type events tend to be more military oriented. Shakos are also still worn, just like for American high school bands. In one or two South American countries, full dress uniforms look very Prussian, probably with good reason. There is at least on mounted band, Swedish, I think, that wears a spiked helmet.

BlueTrain wrote:The spiked helmet is not as popular as it was before WWI but it is far from extinct. It is still the headwear with dress uniforms in a few countries, even in Great Britain, where the old home service helmet is still used by some bands. I even saw a band (actually it may have been a fife and drum corps) wearing them in London summer before last. Likewise, there is even some use of it in Germany, where some brass marching bands retain a very militaristic appearance, even including goose stepping. However, brass bands have long been popular in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and are mostly very folk-music oriented. However, bands that appear at "Schützenfest" type events tend to be more military oriented. Shakos are also still worn, just like for American high school bands. In one or two South American countries, full dress uniforms look very Prussian, probably with good reason. There is at least on mounted band, Swedish, I think, that wears a spiked helmet.

When I was about 9, I went with the rest of my family to a Volksfest at my church, where the band was wearing ted tunics and pickelhauben. I had a toy plastic WWII stahlhelm on, and one of the band members said "You're wearing the wrong helmet!"